Untitled [portrait of a mother and daughter] 1852 - 1858

Editor: This is an albumen print, "Untitled [portrait of a mother and daughter]," dating from 1852 to 1858, by Jeremiah Gurney. It has such a formal, almost severe quality. What can you tell me about it? Curator: It's interesting you pick up on that severity. Consider the limited options available to women, particularly mothers, in the mid-19th century. Photography, then still relatively new, offered a carefully constructed representation. What kind of narrative do you think they wanted to project? Editor: Perhaps respectability? The mother's gaze is so direct, but almost weary. And they're both wearing such patterned dresses... Were these photographs accessible to all levels of society? Curator: That’s a crucial question. Initially, no. Daguerreotypes, and later albumen prints like this, were costly, making them accessible primarily to the middle and upper classes. Thus, photography became a tool for reinforcing societal norms, family values, and class distinctions. This image isn’t simply a portrait, but also a social document reflecting access and representation. Who is seen and who is unseen and what kind of visibility are they given? Editor: So the severity could be a reflection of the pressure to conform to these norms? Curator: Precisely. Their clothing, their pose, everything is carefully chosen. Now consider the racial context of the United States during that era; think about who was excluded from these portrayals of idealized domesticity. Who was conspicuously absent from the frame, and why? Editor: I see, it's a performance of identity but also exclusion. I had never thought of a photograph in those terms before. Curator: Exactly. By interrogating images like these, we unpack the complex intersection of gender, class, race, and the very construction of American identity.